The invention concerns an implantable device providing temporary electrical contact with body tissue which is preferably the human heart muscle.
For a temporary fastening of a stimulation lead to the heart muscle tissue, the stimulation lead is positioned either on the outside wall of an auricle chamber of the heart with the aid of a holder that is sewn to the auricle wall, or for the stimulation via one of the ventricles, it is inserted into the ventricle tissue with the aid of a surgical thread, the proximal end of which is attached to the stimulation electrode.
A blocking means is provided to prevent the temporarily implanted stimulation electrode from changing the position intended for it during normal axial stressing of the stimulation lead, caused by cardiac action. This blocking means consists either of a holder, which is essentially adapted in shape to the stimulation electrode and is sewn from the outside to the relatively thin auricle chamber wall, or the blocking means is formed by a specially designed segment in the proximal region of the surgical thread, which considerably increases at this point the frictional resistance of the surgical thread relative to the tissue to be stimulated.
If the temporarily implanted stimulation electrode must again be removed from the contacted tissue after a certain period of time, then the effect of the respective blocking means is neutralized by a jolt-type increase in the pulling stress of the stimulation lead that carries the electrode. The lead is relatively easy to move counter to the insertion direction, and the stimulation electrode can be removed.
The solutions known from Prior Art for securing the position of a temporary stimulation electrode, however, have the disadvantage that the contacting tissue is traumatized considerably when the stimulation lead is removed, which leads to severe physical stress for the patient and delays the healing process to an unjustifiable degree.